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26th November 2016 – Current Affairs

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NATIONAL

Potential Hydro Power Projects in Himalayan Glaciers Fears Chances of Floods

  • Study was conducted by Swiss researchers on ‘The impact of climate change in the Himalayas’
  • study revealed that the ‘potential hydro power projects in the Himalayan region would face chances of increased floods from the formation of new lakes and the expansion of existing ones due to melting glaciers’.
  • number of lakes in the Parvati Valley catchment area was 12 lakes in 1989 which increased to 77 lakes in 2014. Similarly, in the Beas basin, six lakes (in 1989) had increased to 33 (in 2011).
  • 441hydro power projects across India, Nepal, Pakistan and China accounts for 66% of the constructed and the potential projects, and are on possible Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) area. 

Committee to Develop Digital Payment Platform for Government-Citizen Transactions 

  • Digital payments optionfor the payment of all government-citizen transactions to flush out black money and corruption from the country.
  • Committee will also identify various infrastructural bottlenecks affecting the use of digital payment options.
  • Committee will identify and operationalize the user-friendly digital payment options in all sectors of the economy.

Railways to introduce ‘Tri-Netra’ to check collisions 

  • “Tri-Netra (Terrain Imaging for diesel drivers infrared, enhanced optical and radar assisted system)” to check collisions between tracks.
  • Tri-Netrasystem is made up of a high-resolution optical video camera, high-sensitivity infrared video camera and a radar-based terrain mapping system
  • System will help to reduce train accidents by keeping a record of the track maintenance and will also provide better visibility during foggy days.

INTERNATIONAL

Mumbai Ranked Among World’s Top Trending Tourist Destinations For 2017

  • Top 3 destination:
1 Reykjavik, Iceland
2 Cairns, Australia
3 Savannah, US

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

SEBI relaxes norms for Angel Investors

  • The market regulator has raised the total number of angel investors to invest in a start-up to 200 from 49and reduced the minimum investment amount to  25 lakh from the previous Rs. 50 lakhs.
  • regulator has allowed angel funds to invest in start-ups that were set up within 5 yearsbefore the date of investment, which earlier was 3 years.
  • Minimum lock-in period has also been reduced to 1 yearfrom previous 3 years.
  • Angel investors will also be allowed to invest up to 25%of their funds in overseas start-ups.
  • Angel investors are financiers who put money in new companies at the early stage of start-up of companies, mostly in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity.
    Relaxed norms

ESAF ties up with FIS for micro finance bank  

  • The Small Finance Bank was created to serve micro- and small-credit needs for women in parts of India
  • FIS will provide a fully integrated banking and payments platform through a totally outsourced delivery model

South Indian Bank launches contactless debit card

  • Customers can also use this card as contact chip card. If customers use this card at the contactless PoS terminal

German based BSH Household Appliances Group opens technology centre in Bengaluru

  • This centre will help BSH to further develop localised technologies for the Indian market and to become the heart of product development for the Asia Pacific region as well as emerging countries in South America and Africa.
  • BSH Household Appliances Group is Europe’s largest manufacturer of home appliances.

Airbnb signs MoU with Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA) to boost rural tourism

  • This initiative will begin in Gujarat and later expand to other states.
  • Airbnb and SEWA will train SEWA members on home sharing, hospitality and amenity standards, and responsible hosting practices.
  • Airbnb will use its digital platform to create awareness of SEWA homes to its community of international and domestic guests.

AWARDS

Manoj Bajpayee Awarded Best Performance Award at 16 Asia Pacific Screen Award

  • Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayeeon November 24, 2016 won the Best Performance Award by an Actor at the 10th Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
  • Nawazuddin Siddiquialso received a Special Mention in the Best Performance category for his role in Anurag Kashyap’s “Raman Raghav 2.0”.
  • A jury grand prize special mention award was also given to eight-year-old Sunny Pawar from India for his role of young Saroo Brierley in “Lion” directed by Garth Davis.
  • The Asia Pacific Screen Awards is the highest award for films in Asia Pacific region and was given in2007 for the first time.

PEOPLE IN NEWS

Nalanda University Chancellor George Yeo resigns from post

  • The university Board was reconstituted by President Pranab Mukherjee on November 21. He also approved giving temporary charge of Vice Chancellor to current VC Gopa Sabharwal’swhose one-year extension expired on November 24, 2016.
  • The Chancellor George Yeo has taken the decision to resign because of autonomy in the university.

Upma Chowdhary Named First Woman Director Of LBSNAA

  • Former IAS officer Upma Chowdhary was appointed as the Director of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) at Mussoorie.
  • She is the first woman directorof LBSNAA. She would be the 23rd director and first woman director of the prestigious academy, imparting training to officers of civil services.
  • The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) is a research and training institute on public policy and public administration in India.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Seventh Landing Craft Utility Ship Launched at GRSE

  • Indian Navy launched the seventh ship of the LCU MK IVproject, LCU-L57
  • This is the largest ship of this kind built anywhere in the world. The ship is cost effective, fuel efficientand best suited for protection of island territories of Andaman and Nicobar in the Bay of Bengal as well as Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea.
  • The ship will be extremely useful for joint operations carried out by the Indian Navy and Indian Army for ensuring maritime security and protection of remote islands
  • The ship can be deployed for multirole activities like beaching operations, humanitarian and disaster relief operations and evacuation from distant islands.

Food Bars being developed by NASA for Deep Space Mission

  • NASA Scientists are developing a variety of food barsfor the astronauts in the Orion spacecraft so that they can eat breakfast during their travel beyond the Moon to explore deep space destinations.
  • The aim of food bars is to save some spacein the spacecraft by reducing the packaging and storing of food and developing a single calorically dense breakfast substitution for Orion astronauts.
  • The food bars being developed by NASA’s Human Research Programmehave been tested by crew members inside HERA, the agency’s three-story habitat designed to give similar condition as in exploration scenarios.

Environment & Ecology

Hurricane & Earthquake simultaneously attacked Central America

  • A powerful hurricane and an offshore earthquake hit the Central America simultaneously on November 24, 2016 in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
  • No immediate reports of damage or casualties was reported. However, a tsunami alert was issued for Pacific coasts, and El Salvador.

SPORTS

Arunachal Government renames Chief Minister’s Trophy for Football and Volleyball 

  • Chief Minister’s Trophyfor Football and Volleyball (men’s and women’s) will be renamed after martyr Hangpan Dada.
  • The state-level trophy for football and volleyball, both in men and women categories, would now be called as Hangpan Dada Memorial Trophy.
  • Havildar Dada, who died in Kupwara on May 27, 2016 after killing three terrorists, was awarded Ashok Chakra on the eve of Independence Day by President Pranab Mukherjee.

P.V Sindhu climbs to 9th spot in BWF Badminton rankings, Saina slips 5 positions

  • V Sindhuhas been ranked 9th in the latest BWF World Badminton Women ranking.
  • Former world number 1 Saina Nehwal, slipped 5 places to reach 11thspot in the ranking.
  • The ranking has been topped by Olympics gold medal winner Carolina Marinof Spain. Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand is on 2nd

Maha Haddioui becomes the first Arab professional golfer to play in Ladies European Tour

  • Maha Haddiouia golfer from Morocco turned professional golfer in 2011. She is the first professional golfer from Arab region who will play in the Ladies European Tour in the Qatar Ladies Open 2016
  • In December of 2016, she becomes the first Moroccan and Arab professional golfer to reach the
    European Tour. At Rio Olympics 2016, she finished at the last spot in women’s golf.
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